Decoration

ABSTRACT

This decoration is characterized by being formed by forming strips by cutting off such material which can be cut as a paper, cardboard or synthetic resin sheet along straight, curved or wavy lines by leaving slight connecting parts, alternately folding them around the connecting parts as centers, making small holes in the folded strips connecting them through rings or strings and developing and fixing the alternately folded parts to have any variations.

RIKI SAIGA DECORATION Jan. 9, 1973 Filed April 29, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 9,1973 RIKI SAIGA 3,

f DECORATION Filed April 29, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 9, 1973 RIKI SAIGA 3,709,767

' DECORATION Filed April 29, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.IO.

United States Patent 3,709,767 DECORATION Riki Saiga, 251, 3-chome, Asakusabashi Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Apr. 29, 1970, Ser. No. 32,897 Int. Cl. A49g 33/08 U.S. Cl. 16l-14 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This decoration is characterized by being formed by forming strips by cutting off such material which can be cut as a paper, cardboard or synthetic resin sheet along straight, curved or wavy lines by leaving slight connecting parts, alternately folding them around the connecting parts as centers, making small holes in the folded strips connecting them through rings or strings and developing and fixing the alternately folded parts to have any variations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention pertains to the folded paper art and more particularly to the art of making useful and decorative three dimensional articles from the cutting and folding of various types of paper such as cardboard or sheets of synthetic resins.

(2) Description of the prior art A decoration has another decoration having a threedimensional sense, for example, a lace formed separately to distinguish itself. There are two types of such decorations. One of them is formed in a fixed shape and can not be folded. The other can be folded but is so simple in form that it has no decorative effect and it is little used today. Even if it is used, it is so common that it has substantially no effect as of a decoration. Further, a special decoration made by using many materials is too expensive to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The decoration according to the present invention, is easy to make, requires few materials, is three-dimensional in the formation, and has a decorative effect that is beautiful. The aesthetic appearance may be varied by varying the cutting lines which are used to form the structure. It can be readily folded for shipment.

The decoration of the instant invention is preferably made resilient either by utilizing a synthetic, resilient resin or by formed resilient ribs on the non-resilient material to lend resiliency to the decoration. In this manner, the likelihood of the decoration being broken during use or transportation is substantially diminished. Particularly, in case a synthetic sheet is used, any color of itself and different colors on the front and back surfaces of it can be used. It is simple in its formation and is easy to make. If the cutting line is varied, a decoration having a varied different appearance can be obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For the purpose of illustration, preferred embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation as developed;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of a part in the making;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part in the making;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view as folded;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of strips as reinforced by being slightly bent in the middle;

FIG. 6 is an elevation of a part showing the making 3,709,767 Patented Jan. 9, 1973 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. The invention shall be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a synthetic resin sheet which is resilient and is mostly different in the colors on the front and back surfaces. As shown in FIG. 2, a pluraltiy of strips 4 are formed by cutting partially into the material along the cutting lines to leave a connecting part 3 at the upper end of the strips. This strip 4 is shown as cut along the arcuately curved cutting lines 5 in FIG. 2. But these cutting lines 5 may be straight, wavy or serrated to make both sides of the strip 4 irregular. Also, as shown in FIG. 7 of another embodiment, the positions of connecting segments may be varied to form a decoration of different appearances when cut. That is to say, by varying the form of the cutting blade to cut the material along the cutting lines 5 or varying the positions of the connecting parts, various strips can be made. Further, cherry flower, plum flower, fine leaf or bamboo leaf designs may be punched in the strip 4 or such designs may be given to the strip 4 itself along the cutting lines so that the product decoration may be used according to the variation of the season. The strip may be slightly bent or projected in the middle with a die to make a rib to reinforce it as shown at 10 in FIG. 5. The strips 4 are cut off along the cutting lines 5 except in the connecting parts 3 and small holes 6 are made at the lower ends of the strips 4 so that it may be easy to connect the strips through rings 7 (FIG. 4). In FIG. 4, the ring 7 is fitted in the small holes 6. However, not only such rings but also strings may Well be used. In the case of the ring 7, there is an advantage that the strips are so easy to move as to be able to freely correspond to the extension and contraction of the alternately bent upper ends 2. In the embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 6, the connecting part 3 is formed at the upper end 2. In the drawings, the upper end 2 is formed to be semicircular. But it is not limited to be semicircular but may be of any other form such as, for example, a pointed or serrated form or a form conforming to a star, plum flower or cherry flower design to be punched in the strip. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4,-

small holes 8 are made at the beginning end and final end of the upper ends 3. As shown in FIG. 1, a string 9 is fastened in the form of a ring through said small holes 8 so that, when this string 9 is pulled, the strips may be kept developed and the decoration may be hung on any thing. Further, when adjacent strips are folded oppositely to the right and left of the connecting part 3 of the upper ends 2 as shown in FIG. 3, a forked part a is formed by the strips which are overlapped alternately on the right and left as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to form a product which may be compressed and expanded like an accordion. When the two legs of the thus formed forked parts a are respectively connected and the upper ends are developed. The upper ends 2 develop to be circular and such circular decoration as is shown in FIG. 1 is formed. In such case, if the above mentioned string 9 passed through the small holes 8 at both ends of the upper ends 2 are tied, the circular form is kept. The extensions of these upper ends may be made semicircular or quadrantal as different from those in FIG. 1 and two or three of them can be combined with the others by passing the string through the small holes 8. Further, such decorations as in FIG. 1 are formed and can be connected in the vertical direction by utilizing the ring in the center. Further, if developed as in FIG. 1, the respective strips are more or less twisted near the center. As they are arranged in the form of a fork, two front and back decorations are formed to be three-dimensional and deep. In case sheets 1 dilferent in the colors on the front and back surfaces are used, the gracefulness by the variation of the colors is combined with the deepness to provide a beautiful decoration. Further, in case the cutting lines of the strips 4 are straight, when the connecting parts 3 are to be folded, if they are inclined alternately in opposite directions, they are forked the same as in the case that the strips 4 are curved.

Now, in another embodiment in FIGS. 7 to 10, as shown in FIG. 8, the cutting line 5 as varied in the form inside and outside is applied to the above mentioned sheet. The outside cutting line 5 is curved but the inside cutting line 5 is straight and the connecting part 3 of both is left to separate the cutting lines 5 and 5 from each other. The left parts 3 are alternately folded, the strips 4 and 4' are folded to be in the form of a Y as shown in FIG. 10, the small holes 6 are made in the strips, the ring 7 is fitted in the holes, the small holes 8 are made at the first end and final end and the string 9 is fitted to the small holes 8 in the same manner as in the embodiment in FIGS. 1 to 6. The difference is that, as shown in FIG. 8, as the sheet 1 is in the form of a disk, a portion of the connecting part is cut off with either one of the cutting lines 5 and 5'.

As the present invention is formed as in the above, the cutting lines 5 forming the strips 4 of a sheet can be made with a punching blade, various strips can be obtained by varying the punching blade form, therefore it is very simple to form the strips, further the strips can be branched to be in the form of a Y by folding the connecting parts alternately on the right and left and, as the two legs are respectively connected, when the upper ends 2 are developed, two front and back surfaces are overlapped to be deep and, when different front and back colors are used, the colors are varied. Thus there is a feature that a beautiful decoration can be cheaply provided. Further, in transporting and packing such decoration, it can be folded as shown in FIG. 4 so as to be unfolded to be used. Two or three of such decorations can be combined very easily by using strings or rings. Thus there are great advantages in using the decoration of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A decoration comprising a plurality of strips formed by cutting a sheet of material along a plurality of preselected lines each of which originate from the same side of said material, each of said strips being connected by a portion of said material, to at least one adjacent strip to form an interconnected network of said strips, said network having a strip at each end which is connected by a portion of material to only one adjacent strip, each of said strips being in folded relationship with its next adjacent strip in the region of the said connecting portions, and se curing means positioned at the extremities of said strips adapted to permit rotation and expansion of the strips about said securing means to form a three dimensional decoration. Y

2. The decoration specified in claim 1 further comprising second securing means for retaining the rotated and expanded shape of the decoration.

3. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein adjacent strips diverge and are positioned in two interconnected rows and in which each row is secured by the said first strip securing means.

4. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein the said strips are connected by the said material at a location spaced, y om. h e d of said s ps.

5. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein the said strips are connected by the said material at only one end of said strips.

6. The decoration specified in claim 5 wherein the connecting portion has a semicircular shape.

7. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein each of said strips has a rib formed therein.

8. The decoration specified in claim 5 wherein the said connecting portion is arcuately shaped.

9. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein said strips have one or more decorative shapes punched therein to increase the esthetic appeal of the decoration.

10. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein the said connecting portion is shaped in the form of a fiower to lend added esthetic appeal to the decoration.

11. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein the edges of said strips are made wavy in appearance by curting the said strips along selected lines which are Wavy.

12. The decoration specified in claim 1 wherein said strips are in an oppositely folded relationship to permit the contraction of said decoration to a flat position for storage and shipment and the expansion of the decoration into its intended shape.

13. A decoration comprising a plurality of strips formed from a sheet of material by cutting the material along a first plurality of selected lines each of which originate from a first selected side of said material and along a second plurality of selected lines, each of which originate from a second selected side of said material, each of said strips being connected by a portion of said material to at least one adjacent strip, said connecting portion lying between the ends of said strips to form an interconnected network of said strips having projections both above and below the region of connection between said strips, said interconnected network having a strip at each end which is connected by said material to only one adjacent strip, each of said strips being in folded relationship with its next adjacent strip in the region of the said connecting portions to form a plurality of rows of strips, each fold running longitudinally between the ends of the cuts of said strips, and securing means positioned at the extremities of said projections of said strips either above or below said region of connection and adapted to permit rotation and expansion of said strips about said securing means to form a three dimensional decoration.

14. The decoration specified in claim 13 wherein there are three rows of strips which form a Y-shaped decoration and in which the strips in each of two diverging rows of the Y are secured to the other strips Within their respective rows by the said first strip securing means to permit rotation and expansion of the three rows of strips into the three dimensional decoration.

15. The decoration specified in claim 13 further comprising second securing means for retaining the rotated and expanded shape of the decoration.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,026 l/1881 Knauif 161-12 X 1,248,916 12/1917 Rich, "Jr. 161-14 2,037,440 4/1936 Taylor 161-42 X 2,046,988 7/1936 Winter 161-42 X 2,770,407 11/1956 Dahm 161-12 X 3,565,736 2/1971 Jason 161-30 FOREIGN PATENTS 138,659 6/1961 U.S.S.R. 156-290 WILLIAM J. VAN BALEN, Primary Examiner H. F. EPSTEIN, Assistant Examiner U5. C1- X-R. 161-16, 30 

